Taking Over
by Ephemeral Serendipity
Summary: Athrun and Cagalli; two teenagers from two different sides of Orb. Fate brought them together; their leader-complex breaks them apart. High school has only one leader spot, and they both want it. ATHRUN x CAGALLI
1. Chapter 1

**Taking Over**

Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

"Darnit, Cagalli!" slamming his desk, Uzumi Nara Athha glared up at the defiant blonde. "Don't make me do this."

"Do what?" Cagalli asked innocently, raising her eyebrows. She crossed her arms and tapped her foot.

"You know _very _well what I'm talking about!" roared Mr. Athha, standing up and shoving a newspaper clipping in front of her face. "THIS! YOUR… CHILDISH PRANK."

"_My_ childish prank? Father, you must be kidding me." she scoffed, and quickly added, "No pun intended."

Trying to calm himself down, he replied coolly, "Yes, your childish prank, which involved… let's see," pretending to read the newspaper, he said in a matter-of-fact tone, "Inviting Meer Campbell to tea, offering her cake which was really made out of shaving cream, hot custard, and sponge. Oh, and bubble tea, where the tapioca was really fish eyes and the tea… CAGALLI YULA ATHHA!" Raising his voice again at the blonde, who was struggling to contain her laughter.

"Father, seriously. Why would I do such a thing? I mean, if I wanted to prank her, I would tell her to crawl into a tunnel saying Athrun Zala was on the other side, and quickly… BOOM. She'd never know it was a canno—"

"CAGALLI! This is serious! I know it was you! Who else would do this to Ophus Campbell's daughter?! Fish eyes?! Sponge?!"

"Hey, fish eyes are good for you."

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT HERE."

"What is then? The fish fins?"

"CAGALLI!"

"The head?"

"…"

"Okay, I'll stop."

"Furthermore, the TEA! WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD REPLACE TEA WITH PE—"

"It's not like it was dirty or anything. Did you know monkeys used their urine to wash themselves?"

"D-did you use monkey uri—"

"Of course not."

"Then what did you u—"

"Father, I'm sure you above all know that some questions are best left unanswered."

"CAGALL—"

"Okay, chill. I'll offer them an explanation and stuff."

"THEY DON'T NEED A DARN EXPLANATION. THEY NEED AN APOLOGY!"

"Yeah, yeah, that thing."

"And you will tell them exactly WHAT you put in that drink to help them anyway you can!"

"Sure thing."

Sighing, Uzumi Athha rubbed his temples. "Please, Cagalli, poisoning the Campbells' daughter isn't going to improve our relationships! It's a crucial moment, so please, I beg you."

"… alright."

"You're dismissed. Go find the Campbells and apologize, okay?"

Turning around, Cagalli muttered under her breath, "Just what exactly is so disgusting about peach juice plus melted cappuccino ice cream?"

* * *

When she got outside, she flinched at the bright glare of the sun. Shielding her amber eyes, she looked around. The Campbells were staying in the building right beside hers, so she could drop by her house for a change of clothes before visiting. Looking down at her red t-shirt and khaki pants, Cagalli doubted they would take kindly to her attire, much less her very appearance.

'Might as well just change…' she thought, beginning the one kilometer walk from the government building to her house. Plucking hair and feathers off herself, she pondered about what she could wear. The green dress Myrna made for her? Or maybe just the Orb's purple suit...?

While thinking about this, she walked straight into someone's back. Someone, being…

"Kira!" Turning around at the mention of his name, he raised an eyebrow at his twin sister.

"Cagalli! You're out earlier than I expected." earning a punch from the blonde, he rapidly added, "That means those anger management classes wor— OW!"

Rubbing her first, she glared at him coldly. "For your information, I never even took anger management classes!"

"Really? What were you doing with Lacus then?"

"For your information, I was NOT with Lacus. You only see me with Lacus because she's the only member of the female species you see! Other than me."

"You're a member of the female species?"

"KIRA!"

"Kidding, kidding. So who were you with, then?"

"… Shinn." This response gave way to an awkward silence. Kira stopped dead in his tracks and gaped at his sister.

"Shinn… Asuka? Brother of Mayu Asuka and boyfriend of Stellar Loussier?"

"What?! He's dating Stellar?"

"WHAT?! You were really planning on asking him out?!"

"WHAT??!?! WHO SAID THAT?!"

"WHAT!??!?! I THOUGHT YOU SAID YOU WERE WITH SHINN!"

"WHAT?!??!?!? I MEANT FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES!"

"AAAAAAAAH?!?!?! YOU'D GO TO SHINN FOR ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASSES?!"

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT?!"

"CAGALLI, ARE YOU MESSED IN THE HEAD?! IF YOU NEED ANGER MANGEMENT CLASSES, THEN SHINN DEFINITELY NEEDS THEM TOO!"

"KIRA, STOP YELLING AT ME DARNIT! EXACTLY. _HE'S_ taking anger management classes so I'm asking _HIM_ to teach _ME _what _HE_ learned!"

"… oh." Resuming their little walk towards their house, he said, "Anyways, don't forget to go apologize to Meer, okay?"

"Why is everyone telling me that again and again? I have a heart, y'know." Eying her brother who suddenly began to cough violently, she added, "I mean, it's not like I fed her poison or something."

"Cagalli, if you didn't learn anything from biology, please, let me teach you. Urine is TOXIC."

"Okay, seriously! WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I PUT URINE IN THERE?!"

"Meer said it tasted like urine!"

"Is she serious?" Cagalli pulled a face.

"What? Why?"

Sighing at her brother's cluelessness, she crossed her arms and leaned on her right leg. "How does she know what urine tastes like if she's never tried it?" This statement made Kira stop once again, dead in his tracks.

"N-no way… you're suggesting that…?"

"Yes way. Meer Campbell, daughter of Ophus Campbell, has drunk pee before." Unable to contain herself any longer, Cagalli erupted in laughter and began to cry laughing.

"Holy smoked salmon! Meer, drinking pee… WOW." Kira joined his sister and began to double over laughing, causing some guards to glance their way and raise eyebrows.

"Anyways, I didn't put urine in there." Still giggling, Cagalli straightened up and continued walking, leaving Kira behind.

"What? Wait. If you didn't put urine in there, what'd you put? It certainly looked like it." said Kira, catching up to his sister and resumed his walking pace.

"Peach juice and melted cappuccino ice cream. With some… other flavours added." Cagalli smiled to herself, as she certainly knew what those 'other flavours' were, and they, my friends, were going to be her little secret. Her **DIRTY** little secret.

"I don't think I even want to KNOW what those other flavours were." shuddering a bit, Kira began to wonder how exactly they were related.

"No, you don't. Anyways, I wouldn't tell you." snickering, Cagalli skipped away, but then paused. "Oh, and me too, I wonder how exactly I'm related to someone like you." With those words, she laughed again and skipped into the house, leaving poor Kira staring at where she was and scratching his head.

Inside the house, Cagalli ran up the golden stairway and up into her room. Opening the door, she found it stuck.

"Darn this door. What's wrong with it?!" Shoving against the door, she continued to shove and shove until a maid came by and stared at her weirdly.

"Um, Miss. Athha?"

"Yes? Ah, please don't mind me. I'm… trying… to get… this… DARN… door… OPEN!" However, despite these words, the maid found it very difficult to divert her eyes, as the way she was trying to do that… was quite disturbing.

"Miss. Athha, do you need some assissta—"

**BANG.**

"Ah, crap! THE DOOR BROKE!" Facepalm`ing, the maid went off to find the repairs crew, leaving Cagalli staring at what was left of her door.

"Moron." Cagalli spun around, and immediately made a disgusted face at who it was.

"Eck. It's you."

"What's with the attitude?" Shinn Asuka asked, making the same disgusted face back at her.

"I never knew you were dating Stellar!"

"Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does! Why didn't you tell me?"

"You never asked."

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be, eh? Well, you acted single SO it is not my fault."

"Huh?! What am I supposed to do to act like I'm in a relationship? Go around with a pin saying "I have a girlfriend, sorry." on my chest?!"

Shaking her head in disbelief at his stupidity, Cagalli replied, "No, obviously you put a pin saying, "I have a boyfriend, sorry." What are you, stupid?"

"But I don't HAVE a boyfriend!"

"At least you'll act more like you're taken!"

"Does it really matter?! How does me being in a relationship change anything?!"

"It changes my opinion of you. I guess instead of being a teapot boiling with hot water, you're more like… hm…" Pausing to think, she eyed him up and down.

"A gorilla drinking beer." answered Kira, who suddenly walked up the stairs.

"Okay, you two are like, unbearable. What exactly have I done?!" Shinn complained, pouting.

"Number one, you got a girlfriend before I did. Number two, yo—OH MY GOODNESS CAGALLI, YOUR DOOR!" gasped Kira, staring at the remains of the originally orange door.

"Crap." muttered Cagalli, inching away slowly from her brother… hoping he wouldn't notice the distance increasing between them…

"CAGALLI, I SEE YOU MOVING AWAY AND YOU ARE NOT GOING ANYWHERE. THIS IS THE 23529827389572TH TIME! **STOP. BREAKING. DOWN. YOUR. DOOR**!"

"I'm sorry! I was just trying to get in but the door wouldn't budge!"

"WELL YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BREAK THE WHOLE DO—oh crap what the heck is that smell?!" All three of them turned towards Cagalli's door, where they suddenly saw some ants filing out from under the door.

"… oh no." whispered Cagalli.

All three of them continued to stare at the door, while backing away slowly from it and huddling together. Suddenly, they saw the door come out, in two pieces (thanks to Cagalli), and they saw exactly what made the door unable to open.

"Okay, and I thought I was messy." Shinn said, staring in horror at her room.

"This isn't messy. This is like, UGH. CAGALLI!" yelled Kira, shaking his sister back and forth.

"GEEZ WHAT'S WITH EVERYONE YELLING AT ME THESE DAYS! IT'S NOT MY FAULT!"

The room, definitely didn't look like it belonged to the daughter of a leader of a country. Far from it. There was a huge pile of garbage blocking the door, and even though it was in a black plastic bag, there were holes in it, where many unidentifiable materials were seen oozing or sliding or crumbling out. The bed was the only neat thing. There were flies, ants, cockroaches, potato bugs… and even a mouse scampered across the room. The drawers had clothes flung on top of them and stuffed inside them and just all over the room.

* * *

_**2 hours later.**_

"I'm really sorry about what I did, Meer. I hope you feel better soon." said Cagalli, wiping some (fake) tears from her eyes as she stared at the pink-haired impersonation of Lacus.

"It's okay, darling. I'm alright, and as long as our relationships are still the same, then it's alright with me." fluttering her eyes at the blonde, Meer gave a coy smile which send shudders down Cagalli's arms.

"Uh, yeah. Are you okay?" the blonde asked, eyeing the medical equipment around the blue-eyed girl.

"Oh, yes! I recovered from… ah, the 'tea incident'. No permanent damage. Thank you for the, ah, cake as well. No permanent damage there either, after puking it out for 2 hours."

"Is that so? Then I'm glad to hear that." replied Cagalli in a monotone.

"Yes, I'm happy to say I will be up and running again in a week or so!"

"Is that so? Brilliant, great for you."

"I know right? I can't wait to start school here!"

"Is that so? Gre—wait, what?! You're going to school here?!" Cagalli stood up and stared at the surprised girl in disbelief.

"Yes, that's what daddy said. He said we're going to Zala High. Is that the same school as you?" Sighing in relief, Cagalli shook her head.

"No, I attend ORB Secondary. Zala High is on the other side of ORB."

"Oh, I see. Yeah, Daddy said that since I'm engaged to Athrun Zala, the Zalas' son, I might as well go to the same school as him and get to know him better! Isn't that great? Apparently he is THE hottest guy in ORB!"

"Is that so?" said Cagalli sarcastically. "Then, I guess we won't be seeing much of each other after this."

"I know, right? I tried to ask Daddy if I could stay here, but he said no, and that I had to go live with the Zala family! Oh, Cagalli, I will miss you so much!" Holding her arms out, Meer stared up at Cagalli hopefully, who reluctantly gave her a hug. When they parted, Cagalli vowed to take a shower and throw out the orange dress she was wearing at the moment.

"Anyways, I think I have to go…"

"So soon? But…" Meer sat up straighter, and gazed at Cagalli with pleading eyes. Cagalli, unfortunately for Meer, totally did not care nor see.

"If you need to find me, you know where I'll be. Get better soon!" with those words, she walked out.

Walking down the hall, Cagalli fumed. Fumed about how Meer was going to Zala High, and not ORB Secondary.

"Stinking Zalas. What's so good about them?" she grumbled, but deep down, she knew the answer. The problem was, she didn't really have a 'deep down'. She continued to mutter to herself as she walked back home. For the second time that day, she crashed into someone going up the stairs. "DARNIT, WATCH WHERE—Oh! Father!"

"Cagalli. Did you apologize to the Campbells?"

"Yes, yes, I did! I apologized to Mr. and Mrs. Campbell, and to Meer herself. Happy?"

"Good girl. Come, I have something to tell you." As they walked back to Uzumi Athha's office, Cagalli could not help but feel a flash of fear as they entered his clean office.

"What is it, Father? Has something gone wrong?"

"No, no, not at all."

"Then…"

"As you know, this side of ORB has ORB Secondary, right?"

"Yes, I know. The other side has Zala High." Cagalli's voice sneered at the name Zala.

"Well, I was just talking to Mr. Zala, and we have agreed to combine the two schools."

Cagalli went into shock. Combine the two? "Wait, Father…"

"It will be in the centre of ORB, so no worries. You will attend there, along with your brother and Shinn."

"But, Father, why?" Cagalli bit her lip as her father sighed and rested his head on his hands.

"It was stupid of us to separate ORB in half. This way, we can unite the whole of ORB and be united with each other. Cagalli, I know you don't like the Zalas, but…"

"Father, this is… you know just as well as I do they don't desire peace! They want to take over ORB, and control this side of it! They can't be given any more power than they already have! Father, I objec—"

"Cagalli! Enough." Holding up his hands to stop any further remarks, he continued, "I know, they will be very dangerous if they are given any more power. But we are not giving them any more power. We are simply uniting the people! There is no exchange of power! Cagalli, you have to see…"

She had enough; she cut him off before he could finish. "I understand. Only on two conditions, though." Her father's eyebrows rose, but he allowed her to speak. "That I am able to oversee the construction of the new building, and that they also have someone from their side oversee it."

"Very well. I will have that arranged."

"Thank you, Father." She turned around to leave, but not before saying, "If they cross one millimeter of the line, I will certainly put them back in their rightful place." Chuckling, her father simply shooed her away, not hearing her mutter, "Rightful place, under my foot."

* * *

**Author's Note:** ... failed first attempt? I don't know. It's been a LONG time since I've written any fanfiction.

Some AsuCaga fans might remember my old stories... I don't know. They might recognize the writing style, or might not. If some of you do, congratulations! I am planning on updating the ones from my old account (in fact, I would update right on there, but I cannot seem to find the password or the email account for it), but probably on my LJ which I'll give out later.

**Cagalli:** I place a bet this won't even make it to the second chapter.

**Kira:** Cut her some slack! I bet third.

**Shinn:** Yeah, that's a lot of slack.

**Kira:** It is! See, in this chapter there were approximately 3,000 words! She can at least write another 3,000 words, but not 6,000.

**Shinn:** You know what, I'm just going to say she can make it to the second last chapter and then suddenly lose inspiration. That's what happened last time.

**Author:** * throws a piggy bank at the three of them * Anyways,**_ please read and review! _**Thanks; see you next time!

**Cagalli:** Hopefully.


	2. Chapter 2

**Taking Over**

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

"Cagalli! Is it true? Orb Secondary and Zala High are being merged?" Turning at the sound of her name, she looked at the other blonde.

"Yeah, it's true, Stellar. Apparently, the new school is going to be called Freedom Justice Secondary." she replied, sighing. Worried, Stellar frowned.

"Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the right.

"I'm okay. It's just that… I know Father says the Zalas just want to unite the two sides of Orb, but… I can't shake off this feeling that that's not what they want." Cagalli stared at ground, biting her lip.

"… me too. I don't feel like they actually want that either. But cheer up! We'll probably make new friends." Smiling, Stellar met the amber gaze of her friend, and watched a smile dance across her face.

"You're right. Let's go find Shinn, Kira, and Lacus, alright?" Taking Stellar's hand, they ran out to look for their friends.

* * *

"Lacus?" The pink-haired girl looked up, and saw a brunette in front of her. She smiled at him, and stood up.

"Kira! How are you?" She hugged him, not noticing a blush creeping across his cheeks.

"I-I'm okay. Just got back from the dump." Collapsing into an open chair, he sighed and looked at the sky. They were sitting at a small table in the garden of the Athha residence. Lacus lived just two buildings across, and often came by just to sit there and admire the scenery.

"The dump?" questioned Lacus, raising a delicate eyebrow.

"Cagalli's room." he informed her, making her laugh. '_Her laugh… so lovely… just like bells…_'

"Is it that bad? I think I cleaned it with her just three days ago!"

"Oh man. She couldn't even get into the room." he remarked, making her laugh again.

"Let me guess, she broke the door down?" Lacus waited for his response, and giggled when he nodded, rolling his eyes. "When I helped her three days ago, she broke the closet door down. I didn't think it would be that bad!"

"It's only been three days! I don't get what she does in that room." moaned Kira, slapping a hand across his forehead.

"Is your room like that as well?" teased Lacus, making him shake his head vigorously.

"No way! Most definitely not!" he stammered, not wanting her to get a bad impression of him.

"Hey, Kira. You left your junk in my room again!" Lacus and Kira turned to see Shinn, who was lugging a black garbage bag across the lawn. "Oh, and you have a red handprint on your forehead. Did Lacus slap you or something?"

Jumping up and grabbing the garbage bag, Kira sent it flying, up, up, up and away… until it disappeared.

"Nice throw, man." Shinn gawked at the sky and at his friend, who was bright red yet and panting with the effort.

"My, my, that'll go far." commented Lacus, smiling at the sky.

"… uh… yeah…" muttered Kira, still bright red.

"Kira! NO LITTERING!" yelled Cagalli, running up to him and bonking him on the head.

"Ow! That hurt!" Kira eyed his sister apprehensively and clutched the bump that was now forming on his head.

"Hi Cagalli!" chirped Lacus, running to hug her best friend.

"Lacus!" cried Cagalli, hugging her back.

"Stellar! What are you doing here!" was Shinn's astonished cry as he saw his girlfriend walking up towards the group.

"I came with Cagalli; we have some news…" she murmured, looking at Cagalli, who returned her glance, and continued.

"Zala High and Orb Secondary are merging." said Cagalli. After she announced it, she watched her friends' expressions. Kira went from looking like he was constipated to looking like someone had kneed him in an inappropriate place. Lacus' mouth was open, her blue eyes wide. Shinn, on the other hand, was strangely calm and was grinning.

"Great! Are we going to the new high school in the fall?" he asked eagerly, to his friends' surprise.

"What? Why are you so excited?" asked Stellar, holding her boyfriend's arm.

"I have a friend that goes to Zala High; I haven't seen him in AGES! Hey, you know him too!" he remarked, nudging Stellar. "Remember Auel? Auel Neider?"

A look of recognition flashed across the blonde's face, and she smiled. "I remember him. The one that walks around half naked, showing off his abs?"

"Hey, is that all you remember of him?" growled Shinn, clearly displeased at the fact that his girlfriend happened to remember someone else's abs.

"Well, she notices things that her own boyfriend lacks." noted Cagalli, making Kira and Lacus laugh out loud, and earning a glare from Shinn.

"Are you so sure about that? I can show you if I have abs or not…" Shinn fumed, about to pull his shirt off.

"No, no! I'll spare you the shame of showing off what you don't have." snickered Cagalli, making her other friends laugh again, with the exception of Shinn. However, Kira stopped laughing abruptly, and turned towards Cagalli.

"Why, though? Why are the two high schools joining together?" he asked, a serious expression on his face.

"Father says it's because Mr. Zala and him want to unite Orb, instead of dividing it up into two. For 'peace' reasons." replied Cagalli, using her fingers to imitate the quotation marks.

"Peace? The Zalas want peace? Please tell me you're kidding." Shinn shook his head.

"The Zalas are quite nice…" murmured Lacus quietly, making everyone look her way. "Well, their son is. Athrun Zala. I've met him before; he was my fiancé before our parents decided to cancel the engagement."

"You were engaged to Athrun Zala?!" Kira asked in shock, and she nodded. "Then… did you use to live in the Zala district?" This earned another nod from the pink-haired girl.

"It doesn't matter. I just hope nothing bad will come from this, otherwise I'll make them regret merging." promised Cagalli, looking her friends in the eyes, and they all nodded encouragingly.

* * *

"Wake up, Cags. We'll be late if you don't hurry up." Kira stared at the lump on the bed, which was his sister. Sighing, he nudged her. No response. He pulled her blankets off, to reveal her curled up form. She shivered, which was to be expected as she really wasn't wearing much, except for a tank top and underwear.

Raising his eyebrows at his sister's attire, he rolled her around on the bed. "Wake up! RISE AND SHINE!" he exclaimed, and received a mumbled "agjdfgkj kflg" in response. Growing impatient, he picked up a teddy bear from the floor and threw it at her. No response. He picked up a shoe, and threw it at her. No response, again.

Groaning, he knew he had no other choice. Preparing himself, and sincerely hoping he would not be murdered for it, he jumped on top of her, crushing her.

This immediately worked.

"AHH! PREPARE THE CANNONS! THE FLAMETHROWER! THE BAZOO— KIRA! GET OFF ME, YOU HEA—" before she finished, Kira rolled around and arranged it so that she was on top of him, and he was on the bottom.

"Good morning to you too." he chuckled, and added, "Nice outfit, by the way."

Laughing along with her brother, she replied sarcastically, "Just for my dear brother."

"Why, I'm honou—" Suddenly, Shinn burst into the room, but he paused, unsure what to make of the scene on the bed.

"Uh… I really want to say I'm sorry for disturbing you and for you guys to enjoy yourself, but the second part just won't seem to flow…" he stuttered, turning red, while the twins roared with laughter.

"Hey, Shinn, want to join us?" asked Cagalli, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

"… no thanks. I think I'll just leave now…"

"You don't want to have my prized pancakes?" Kira pouted. Unfortunately, Shinn just seemed to be unable to take things the right way.

"… no. I don't want to have _**ANYTHING**_ to do with your '_**pancakes**_', and I hope I _never_ do." He turned around and left the room, his ears and neck both a deep shade of red.

"… what did he mean by that?" asked Cagalli, staring at her brother who was laughing so hard tears were streaming down his cheeks.

"Ah, nothing, nothing. Now get off me before we cross the line. KIDDDING, KIDDING!" he cried as Cagalli whacked him. "Pancakes for breakfast?" he asked, grinning at his sister as she got off of him.

* * *

"Man, I think I just aged by several years." grumbled Shinn, as he sat in the back passenger seat of Kira's car.

"Learn to knock, okay?" teased Cagalli, turning around in the passenger seat and sticking her tongue out at him.

"Not that we'd be able to hear it." joked Kira, making Shinn scowl and Cagalli giggle.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear anything." said Lacus cheerfully, looking out the window. Stellar agreed with a nod of her head.

"Yeah, you guys are lucky you didn't experience what I experienced this morning." complained the black-haired youth. However, this had the exact opposite effect he had hoped for. Lacus and Stellar both turned their heads to gape at him.

"… Shinn… I never knew you were into those kinds of things…" whispered Stellar, her eyes wide with terror.

"Ah, the typical thoughts of a teenager boy in heat." mused Lacus, making the car shake with laughter from the driver and the passenger on his right.

"Anyways, you should've stayed for the pancakes. They were really good. I must have had like, 8!" said Cagalli with satisfaction evident in her tone.

"… **PLEASE**, _STOP GOING THERE_!" groaned Shinn, covering his ears in desperation.

"I mean, topped with maple syrup? Unbelievably good." continued Cagalli, grinning at her smirking brother.

"… wait, you meant as in breakfast?" demanded Shinn, uncovering his ears and grabbing Kira's shoulder.

"Whoa, watch it! Of course I meant breakfast!" admonished Kira, looking in the rearview mirror into the red-eyes that were wide with shock. "Seriously, Shinn. The things that go through your mind."

"Wha—but I thought yo—wait then I missed o—UGH THIS IS JUST TOO CONFUSING!" Shinn wailed in despair and ruffled his hair, lamenting the fact that he did not get to consume Kira's… _edible_ pancakes.

"Anyways, what time do we have to be there?" asked Lacus, looking out the window again.

"Well, Father said I had to be there at 11:30 am, so… in approximately 3 minutes." answered Cagalli cheerfully. However, Kira nearly had a heart attack.

"3 MINUTES?! CAGALLI, ARE YOU INSANE?! IT SHOULD TAKE ANOTHER 10 MINUTES!" he panicked, resisting the urge to stare at his sister in horror.

"Yep, so please hurry it up, Mr. Driver!" she said happily, patting him on the shoulder.

* * *

**2 minutes later**

"I-I… thought I was going to die…" moaned Stellar, leaning onto Shinn, who was holding onto a bench for support.

"Kira… your driving…" panted Shinn, clutching his heart.

Choosing to sit under a tree, Lacus fanned herself. "That was an interesting ride."

"Let's go! We have one minute to get to the construction site! Which is right over there!" shouted Cagalli, pointing towards a half-started building where a bunch of construction workers were gathered and talking to her father, and supposingly, the Zalas.

The group of friends ran over to the group, and bowed in greeting to the Zalas.

"Cagalli, Kira, Lacus, Shinn, and Stellar. Glad to see you guys. Meet Mr. Patrick Zala." said Uzumi in his deep gravelly voice. They looked at Mr. Zala. He had an unfriendly look in his eyes, and it appeared as if he was scowling at them.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Zala. My name is Cagalli Yula Athha." greeted the blonde, holding out her hand for a handshake, which he took.

"Pleasure." he responded, looking right at the amber-eyed girl. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, she motioned towards her brother and her friends.

"This is my brother, Kira Athha. My friends, Shinn Asuka, Stellar Loussier, and Lacus Clyne."

"Very nice to meet you." he said, then shifted his gaze towards the pink-haired girl, who offered him a kind smile. "Lacus, it has been a long time." He offered his hand, and she shook it.

"Yes, it's been quite a while. I hope you and your family are well?"

"Quite well, thank you. Extend my regards to your father; we should meet up again one day." he rumbled, then turned back to Uzumi. "So, I have no problem with having someone oversee this operation. I assume your daughter will be overseeing from your side?"

"That is correct." Uzumi nodded.

"Well, seeing as your daughter is representing your faction, I have decided my son will represent the ZAFT, or Zala faction. Athrun, come here." he beckoned towards a blue-haired male who was standing further back.

As he approached the group, Cagalli noticed he was rather… handsome. Navy hair… nicely toned muscles… but what really caught her eye was his emerald orbs. They were very deep, and were exceptionally beautiful. Suddenly, she gripped her Haumea pendant around her neck. Shocked at her sudden movement, she lowered her hands again and looked at Athrun.

"Hello. My name is Athrun Zala. Pleased to meet you." he said in a low voice, bowing.

"Nice to meet you…" was the group of friends' responses. Lacus just smiled at him, but he did not return the gesture, and instead looked at his father.

"Starting today, you and Miss. Athha will oversee the construction of Freedom Justice High School. Understood?" commanded Mr. Zala, and his son nodded mutely.

"Well, then, Patrick. Why don't we go on and discuss the opening procedures and the administration for the school? We can leave the kids here and let them do their jobs." suggested Uzumi, and Patrick agreed. Walking towards their limousines, they turned around and the group of teens uncomfortably looked at one another.

"Athrun, it's nice to see you again! How is Mrs. Zala?" asked Lacus gently, looking at the navy-haired boy.

Looking up, he gave an awkward smile. "She's alright. What about your family?"

"We're fine, thanks."

An uncomfortable silence fell across the group. Cagalli simply looked past Athrun to watch the construction workers. Kira looked from Athrun to Lacus, and back and forth. Stellar simply clutched Shinn's arm and looked at Athrun. Shinn also stared at the other male, unsure of what to say.

"W-well… Cagalli, I guess we'll leave you to your job?" Cagalli turned around to face her brother, who meekly smiled at her. She did not smile back. Instead, she grabbed him by the hand and dragged him off a short distance from the group.

"You're feeding me to the sharks! Don't go!"

"Cags, it's not that bad! I'm sure that Zala guy is nice! Just get along and it'll be fine!" ignoring his sister's pleas, he went back to the group and said, "Let's go, Shinn, Stellar, Lacus."

"Wai—" began Cagalli, but Kira cut her off again.

"C'mon, I'll treat you guys to my panca—my waffles." he corrected himself, watching Shinn turn bright red. "See you later, Cags." he said, kissing her on the cheek. Then they departed, leaving Cagalli with Athrun.

Not knowing what to say, Cagalli simply went over to the trees and sat on a picnic table. Athrun quietly followed her, and sat down the picnic bench to her left.

"So… your name is Cagalli?" he asked quietly, looking up at the blonde, who was watching the construction going on again.

"Yeah. Cagalli Yula Athha." was her short reply.

"… what grade are you in?"

"Grade 11. I'm 16. 17 in May. You?"

"Oh, same. I'm 17 in October though." this piece of news surprised Cagalli, who looked at the other teenager.

"Really? I thought you would be older than I was!" she exclaimed, eyeing him closely. "You don't look 16! No offense, of course."

Laughing he replied, "Yeah, I'm 16. People always say I look too mature for my age."

"Hnn, not surprising." she remarked, laughing with him. They fell silent for awhile, before she said, "Let's go observe them up close, so we can understand what they're actually doing." Grabbing his hand, she pulled him towards the construction site.

She was thankful that he could not see her face, as she felt a slight blush cross her cheeks as she held onto his hand.

He, on the other hand, stared at her back and at the hand was clutching his. An unnoticed smirk played at his lips.

However, they didn't get that far as a black bulging garbage bag came out of nowhere and squashed them both.

* * *

**Author's Notes: ... wait, didn't I just update yesterday? * confused * Oh well! Here's another chapter!**

**Cagalli:** EH?! I lost the bet!

**Kira:** Owned. 8)

**Author****:** ._______.

**Kira:** Now, no more writing, okay?

**Author****:** .________________.

**Shinn:** I kind of doubt you'll finish this though. It's like one of those things you're really excited about at first but then you eventually lose interest.

**Author****:** ._____________________.'''

**Lacus:** I'm sure you'll get to a healthy length. * smiles *

**Author****:** At least someone believes in me.. * sniff * ANYWAYS, to answer the anonymous review!

** to zala Girl ;** LOL why yes she is. : D && thank you very much (: And who knows? Maybe Cagalli isn't the antagonist here. :P

**Cagalli:** Wait, what? I'm the antagonist? That role doesn't suit me though!

**Shinn:** Fffffff.

**Cagalli:** What's that s'posed to mean, huh?!

**Author****:** * ignores * Anyways, _**read and review**_! It's like dA ; comments are better than just favs && alerts! : D Until next time, take care and have fun!


	3. Chapter 3

**Taking Over**

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

"Hey, Cagalli! How was it?" called Kira, waving at his sister, who walked towards him and got into the car.

"It… was alright." she mumbled, hoping her brother wouldn't notice the faint blush that had engulfed her cheeks. "Ath— Ah, I mean, Mr. Zala's son is a lot nicer than I expected."

Unfortunately, she couldn't fool her brother. "… Cagalli, please don't tell me you're falling for Athrun Zala."

"No! No way, of course not!" she argued, and looked away, fumbling for words. "It's just that… well. He's really different from what I expected…"

"Oh joy." said Kira sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Cagalli glared at him, her temper flared.

"Yay, joy. You just don't like him because he used to be Lacus' fiancé!"

"What?! No, of course not! Look, you're just falling for his pretty boy looks!"

"Okay, even if I am, but I'm not, how can I help it? No one else around here is that great looking! I mean, there's you and there's Shinn. And all the guys in our school."

"We—wait, are you saying I'm not good looking enough?"

"Yeah, that's right. I don't see how I'm related to you!"

"Hold on just a second here! You don't even look like a girl, you're probably more of a… I don't know, tomato! You can be both!"

"Did you just compare me to a tomato?! Wait… did you just call me a hermaphrodite?!"

"Glad to hear your ears are still functioning, since your brain isn't! Oh, wait, I forgot! You don't have one!"

"Stop right there, Kira Athha! You don't want to go any further than that!" warned Cagalli, snarling at the brunette.

"Oh, would it be too much to call you a flower then?"

"KIRA!"

The endless bickering continued in Kira's car.

* * *

**The Next Day**

Cagalli woke up before Kira had a chance to assault her in the bed again. Gazing blearily out the window, she got up and opened it. She leaned lazily on the windowsill, admiring the scenery. She could see the ocean from here; it sparkled blue, green, white… it was something she loved about Orb. The peace, the beauty, the serenity…

"Cagalli?" She looked behind her to see her brother, holding up a pan of fresh pancakes, a sheepish look on his face. "Sorry about yesterday's… fight."

"Are you trying to bribe me with food?" asked Cagalli teasingly, raising her eyebrows at the pan. "It's not really working."

Grinning, he shook his head and sat down on her bed. "I just wanted to say… no matter whom you fall in love with, I'll always support you." Pausing, he shook his head, the smile gone from his face. "No wait, cross that out. I'll always be here for you, even if who you fall in love with isn't the best guy for you. The—"

"Kira, please don't tell me you're about to get into the sex talk."

"No, I was—wait, what?!"

"Don't lie to me, Kira Athha! I bet you were going to go on about the bird and bees!"

"GET YOUR MIND OUT OF THE GUTTER!" yelled Kira, blushing bright red, with steam coming out of his head and ears.

"I don't even get why you would bother lecturing me about it seeing as you're a vir—" the sentence was never completed as Kira threw a pancake at her face.

"Hey, guys? Can I join you for breakfa—" Shinn stopped in the middle of his question. Staring at the twins in front of him, he decided it would be better just to continue walking as if nothing had ever happened.

* * *

**In the car (again)**

After a morning of arguing and pancake throwing, Cagalli wasn't in the mood for more of that crap. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be any better on the way to the construction site.

"Okay, Kira, I have an honest question." Looking to his right, the brunette nodded for his sister to continue.

"You know I love you and all," Kira coughed here, "YOU KNOW I DO! Anyways, you know I love you and all that mushy stuff… BUT PLEASE TELL ME WHY THEY'RE IN THE CAR AGAIN!" she erupted, pointing at the three passengers in the back, who stopped their bickering and looked at her.

"You don't want us here?" asked Lacus, giving Cagalli a puppy-eye look.

"No, it's not that…"

"Do you hate us?" whimpered Stellar, biting her lip and staring at the other blonde pleadingly.

"Wait, no, I never said that…"

"Are you sick of us?" Shinn questioned, a sad look on his face.

"No, I'm not!" snapped Cagalli, giving the three of them a murderous look. "BUT DO YOU GUYS HAVE TO TALK ABOUT INAPPROPRIATE THINGS IN THE CAR?!"

"But we're not!" exclaimed Lacus, a curious look on her face. "We were simply talking about sizes, nothing more."

"EXACTLY! WHY EXACTLY ARE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT SIZES?!" raged the blonde, whose cheeks were flaming.

"But we were just discussing which sizes were more appropriate…" mumbled Stellar, pouting.

"I KNOW! BU—"

"And which sizes felt better."

"SHINN! Look, I don't want to hear **ANYTHING** more about sizes, and honestly I don't want to know what preferences YOU guys have in your sex lives!"

The three passengers stared at her. Then Lacus burst out laughing.

"Cagalli, we weren't talking about… er, the sizes you were thinking about."

"_Of course_ you weren't." Cagalli replied sarcastically.

"We were talking about frame sizes. You know, for pictures and stuff?" said Stellar happily, a smile on her face.

Cagalli couldn't take it anymore; she fainted to the trio's amusement, Kira joining in also. But then a thought suddenly struck him.

"Wait, you guys _don't_ have some kind of sex life together, right?" he asked, looking into the rearview mirror.

The three friends in the back simply looked at each other, and burst out laughing, while Shinn said, "Kira, some questions are best left unanswered."

Kira joined his sister in the world of unconsciousness, alarming their passengers and forcing Shinn to stop the car and take over.

* * *

**At the construction site**

"Well, that was enjoyable." remarked Lacus, totally ignoring the death glares directed at her by the twins.

"That's an understatement." chirped Stellar, giggling.

"Yeah. A huge one." grumbled Kira, making his three friends laugh even harder.

"I don't even want to know what you guys were thinking about." groaned Cagalli, her hand slapping her forehead.

"You got that right." Shinn was laughing so hard he rolled around on the grass, but he stopped promptly after Cagalli stepped on him on her way to the site.

"So, what are you guys going to do here while I'm here for…" checking her watch, Cagalli looked up her friends, "the next 5 hours?"

"Observe." was Lacus' answer.

"Dance around." replied Stellar, already twirling around under the trees.

"Watch the developing rom—OW!" Shinn clutched his ribs, glaring at Kira, who apparently gave him a sharp nudge.

"Just to watch over you, my dear sister." said Kira cheerfully, but Cagalli knew from the look on his face that he really meant, "_To make sure you keep this rated PG-13._"

"Uh, thanks guys. I'll try to put on a good show for you." stomping towards the construction site, the furious blonde grumbled incomprehensively to herself. Totally not noticing what was in front of her, she ran into someone and knocked him over. "Oh shi—Athrun! Oh, I'm so sorry!"

Getting up and rubbing his forehead, Athrun turned around to face the apologizing blonde. Chuckling, he interrupted her torrent of apologies. "It's okay, I'm alright."

"Ahh, I'm so sorry! I was busy thinking about some things and I wasn't paying attention!" she wailed, bowing again and again. Unsure what to do, Athrun patted her on the back comfortingly, until suddenly an arrow came out of nowhere and narrowly avoided the blue-haired teen's arm. Alarmed, he looked around and didn't see anyone. Cagalli, on the other hand, shook her head and sighed.

"Shall we go?" she asked, looking up at the emerald orbs.

Nodding, they walked towards the construction site together, trying to ignore the argument behind him.

"You dimwit!" scolded Stellar, bonking the brunette on the head.

"My, my, protective now, are we?" chided Lacus, gazing at Kira.

"You really suck." Shinn agreed, tackling him.

"Oi, get off me!" growled Kira, leaning back and squashing the black-haired youth.

"Seriously, man! You _really really_ suck." repeated Shinn, kicking Kira off him.

"What?! What's wrong with protecting my sister from that per—"

"No, I wasn't talking about that!"

"Then what?" retorted Kira, now eyeing his friend.

"YOUR AIM, MAN! YOUR AIM! HOW COULD YOU MISS?!" cried Shinn, facepalming.

"Well _sorry_ I missed his hand, but I couldn't do that, now could I?"

Meanwhile, Cagalli pretended she didn't hear anything about 'aiming', while Athrun seemed very… puzzled about it.

"You have… very interesting friends." he murmured, looking behind him and seeing a very awkward scene. "Do they like to… man wrestle a lot?"

"Ignore them." was Cagalli's reply. "I don't know what they're doing, and please don't ruin my day by telling me what they're doing because I **KNOW** I don't need to know."

"Uh…" looking back again, Athrun privately agreed.

"So… what do you have planned for Freedom Justice Secondary?" asked the blonde, looking at Athrun out of the corner of her eye.

"Well, I was thinking about having the cafeteria in the middle of the school; with glass windows on top and trees throughout. It gives a warm feeling; it was like that at Zala High." Athrun smiled at the blonde, who looked up thoughtfully.

"Hm… that's a really good idea. Why don't we have a greenhouse sort of place connecting to the caf? Like, made out of glass, so it's sort of like a café. Students can sit together and stuff, while having a view of the outside." suggested Cagalli, returning his smile with one of her own.

"That'd be nice! It doesn't always have to be closed, though, although if it gets really cold we can close it…"

They continued to share ideas, and discuss with the construction workers, who drew up millions of blueprints according to the two teens' ideals. When the workers went off to share the ideas with the architects and masons, Cagalli and Athrun sat under a tree, watching the construction go on.

"Ah, I can't wait!" Cagalli stared dreamily off into space. Athrun chuckled and knocked on her head.

"Still 2 months of construction to go! Plus that extra month for the final checkups before we are actually allowed start."

"I know, but it feels so nice to be able to do this! I mean, technically it's like I designed this school, with you of course, but I can't wait to see the final product! It's like…" searching for words, a light bulb went off on top of her head as she said, "Seeing a dream come true!"

Lost for words, Athrun just laughed some more and looked up at the sky, at the white fluffy marshmallow clouds that floated by. "If only these days would last forever…" he mumbled, not noticing Cagalli unconsciously leaning towards him.

"Are you ok—" Cagalli was interrupted by a whizzing arrow, which went right in between the couple. Losing her temper, Cagalli stood up and glared at the spot where her brother was supposingly hiding.

"KIRA ATHHA! YOU GET YOUR BUTT HERE RIGHT NOW BEFORE I GO THERE AND KICK IT!"

* * *

**Author's Notes:**** Just going to leave it here for today. Sorry about the horrible going-no-where chapter. "OTL Just got back from America and I'm too tired to actually add in the proper plot line. XD''**

**Cagalli:**** * gasps * You made it to THREE CHAPTERS!**

**Shinn:**** This was a relatively short chapter.**

**Author****:**** * throws a size at Shinn ***

**ANYWAYS, ignoring these fools, onto replying to anonymous reviews!**

** zala Girl :**** Yes, I simply had a lot of time LOL. : D**

** GS4ever :**** Thank you! : D Most definitely will (try to).**

**Read and review guys! : D**

**Lacus:**** * ignoring * Where'd the arrows come from, Kira?**

**Kira:**** … uh… you wouldn't want to kno—**

**Cagalli:**** Out of his a—**

**Kira:**** AHEM.**

**Cagalli:**** A—pple. You know, arrows are shot at apples… * sweat drops ***

**Author****:**** AGAIN, I hope you guys enjoyed this lame (and short) chapter, and please read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Taking Over**

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

Fuming, Cagalli sat herself in the car, and steadily ignored the brunette beside her, who was overflowing with apologies.

"Look, Cags, I'm sorry! I won't do that, ever, ever, again!"

"Only because you don't want to get your butt kicked big-time, right?"

"Ye— no, no, not at all!" Kira shot a glance at his sister. "I promise I won't interfere with you… and Athrun again!"

"Oh, my, Cagalli, have you fallen for Athrun?" Lacus asked, a hand on her cheek.

"NO!" Yelled the blonde, glaring at her brother who avoided her burning stare and continued to drive.

"Whoa, Cagalli, you fell for Athrun already?! That was quick!" Shinn exclaimed, leaning towards her. "Are you guys going to get together no— OW! Kira, concentrate on driving!" Scowling at the brunette, Shinn clutched his cheek, wincing as he felt it swell slightly.

"Okay, look here, Asuka," rumbled Cagalli, turning around in her seat and facing the black-haired teen. "I am NOT falling for Zala and we are NOT going to get together! UNDERSTOOD?!"

"Chill, chill! I get it! Understood!" Yelped Shinn, leaning back into his seat and cowering beside his girlfriend.

"Eh, but you guys looked like a cute couple…" Stellar murmured, comforting the shivering Shinn.

"Indeed! You guys would have very pretty babies…" added Lacus, beaming at the livid blonde in front of her.

"WHAT?!"

"KIRA! KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!" was heard throughout the car as the four passengers yelled at him. Frantic, the brunette quickly turned his purple eyes back on the road.

---

When they got home, Cagalli walked up the stairs and into her room. Sighing, she glanced down at her attire; a green vest with matching pants, with a belt along her waist. ***** It was dusty from the construction site, but she didn't feel like changing. Hoping to pat the dust away, she sneezed as the sand reached her nose. Shaking her head, she grudgingly went towards her closet, after tripping over several plushies she left on the floor.

Opening her closet, she swore as a torrent of clothes came crashing on top of her. Inconveniently, Kira walked in that exact moment. Staring at the lump of clothes, he timidly walked over. Poking the pile, he got no response. He decided to poke it again, and again, and again, and again… until…

"DARNIT, KIRA! STOP POKING AND JUST GET ME OUT!" Jumping back and crashing into the wall, the brunette gaped, eyes wider than plates. The voice came again, screaming, "KIRA!!!"

"C-Cagalli?"

"YES, YOU DIMWIT FOOL! WHO THE HECK ELSE WOULD BE HERE, HUH?!"

"I-I thought it was a m-maid!"

"Oh, why THANK YOU for calling me a MAID! I see you are VERY kind towards MAIDS, seeing as you're not BOTHERING to do ANYTHING RIGHT NOW!"

"A-ah, okay, I'm coming!"

"HURRY IT UP, WILL YOU?!"

"GEEZ, I GOT IT ALREADY!" Roared Kira, getting up and digging through the pile of clothes. He saw several undergarments, which made his face flush crimson red. Choosing to ignore them, he continued to rummage through the clothes until he saw something blonde. Grabbing it, he yelled, "Found you!"

There was an awkward silence as Kira held up a pair of Cagalli's panties. Unfortunately for him, Cagalli broke free of the pile at that exact moment. She stared at Kira, who was staring at her panties. A vein began to pop out as Cagalli stood up and punched her brother senseless.

"My, my, they're getting along quite well," observed Lacus, who stuck her head in the room briefly. Stellar and Shinn, who also peeked in, faintly agreed.

"Remind me never to touch a girl's panties…" muttered Shinn, resulting in him getting slapped by Stellar.

* * *

"Master Athrun, Master Patrick has requested that you go up to his room when you get back," reported one of the maids in the Zala Mansion. Thanking her, Athrun began the walk up to his father's room. Weary from the day's events, he longed to go change, but knowing his father had very little patience, he walked past his bedroom and straight towards his father's office. Knocking softly, he waited for the "Come in" before entering.

The room was, bluntly put, boring. The walls were a yellowish white, from age, and the floor was a dusty white-grey carpet. Athrun stared at his father, who was sitting at a desk in the middle of the room. The desk itself was crowded with papers, and there were papers littered across the floor as well.

"You called for me, sir?" Athrun asked, eyeing his father curiously.

"Yes," replied Patrick Zala, gesturing for his son to sit. He did so, cautiously. "How was today?"

"It… was good. Caga— I mean, Mr. Athha's daughter and I simply talked about ideas for the school structure," he said, "we managed to come up with several blueprints for the first floor."

"That's good. I assume it's moving along smoothly?"

"Yes, sir. The designers have taken our requests and ideas and have begun drawing up the rest of the plans."

"Good, very good," Mr. Zala said, satisfied. Leaning back into his chair, he gazed at his son, fingers entwined. "Athrun, as you know, we are not only trying to unite Orb, bu—"

Athrun cut across his father, saying, "I know, sir. I will do my best."

"I'm depending on you for this plan to succeed, Athrun. I hope you know that."

"I do," Athrun responded, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

"Very well. You are dismissed. Report back to me if there are any issues." Nodding stiffly, the navy-haired teen stood up and bowed, before leaving the room. Just before he did, his father added, "Take care not to make any mistakes, Athrun."

Glaring at his father now, he snapped, "I won't, sir," before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

Out in the hall, he stopped and stared at the floor. Frustrated, he slammed his fist into the wall before walking towards his room.

* * *

Waking up, Kira found himself staring at a green canopy. Getting up, he realized he was in someone else's room. Looking around, he found a familiar face.

"Lacus!" Turning around as Kira said her name, the pink-haired girl offered him a brilliant smile. "W-what am I doing here?"

"You were knocked out after Cagalli, uh…" unsure of how to continue, Lacus looked at Kira's other side, where Shinn and Stellar sat.

"After Cagalli knocked your lights out," finished Shinn, grinning at him. In too much pain to actually return a grimace, he looked around for his sister.

"Where's Cagalli?"

"Taking a shower," answered Stellar, pointing out the hallway.

"…"

"Kira, please, don't even think about peeking," Shinn scolded, rolling his eyes.

"I WASN'T!"

"YOU… PERVERT!" Throwing a bar of soap at her brother, Cagalli stormed out of the washroom in comfortable sweatpants and a green t-shirt. Kira was once again out for the count.

* * *

**Next Morning**

"Kira…"

"I know what you're going to say, but, please, let me finish," Kira begged, once again driving. It took a whole morning for him to persuade the others that he was able to drive them safely again. The others, of course, being none other than Stellar, Shinn, and Lacus. "I just want to watch the construction. It's not every day you see a historical monument being built, right?"

Searching for words, Cagalli mumbled, "I know, but…"

"Look, we'll all go out for lunch today, okay? Za— well, Athrun can come as well. I'll treat."

Cagalli asked, brightening up. "Why, though? I thought you didn't like Athrun."

"Well, we'll be going to the same high school, no? So why not just start making friends now?"

"Really?"

"Of course," Kira replied firmly, grinning at his sister.

"EYES ON THE ROAD, KIRA!"

"Geez, chill, guys, it's not like I'm going to cras— WHOA WHAT THE –BEEEEEEP–?!"

Athrun glanced at his watch. It was already 12 PM; Cagalli was 30 minutes late. Sighing in annoyance, he remembered his father's words. 'At least… just for a bit longer…'

"Athrun! I'm so sorry!" panted a certain blonde hair, running towards him. He stared at Cagalli, who was flushed and breathing deeply; Lacus, Kira, Shinn, and Stellar were doing the same, except they were on the grass, all seemingly exhausted. "Sorry, we got into a small… accident… and so yeah, sorry for the delay!"

"It's alright," the navy-haired male waved off her apologies. "The builders are insane; they've almost finished building the foundation."

"Seriously?" Gazing towards them, Cagalli noticed it was, indeed, true. The walls were almost finished. "Amazing… they're really dedicated…" she murmured.

"I guess they're just really looking forward to seeing the result of their hard work," Athrun said, smiling at the blonde.

"I guess so! I can't wait either! Oh, hey, do you want to go out to eat today? Kira's treat."

Surprised, Athrun agreed with a simple nod, and she pulled him away from the construction site and towards the car.

Unfortunately, the car didn't quite manage to fit all 6 of them inside. After several fights about who was going to sit in shot gun, it was decided Athrun would have that special honor, while the four childhood friends squished in at the back. Kira glanced back worriedly at the back of his car, but it seemed to be alright. Stellar ended half sitting on Shinn's lap, but it wasn't like they minded.

The small group chatted with one another, while getting to know Athrun more.

"Do you like to dance?" Stellar queried in her soft voice.

"Uh… not really, but I enjoy watching dances," replied the navy-haired male, smiling at her.

"Have you played the newest Pokemon game?" Shinn questioned, sitting forward in his seat.

"Nah, haven't yet. It seems really fun, though!"

"What do you like to do in your spare time?" Cagalli asked, much to her friends' amusement.

Chuckling, he responded, "I like to make robotics, hang out with some friends, listening to music… stuff like that."

"He's really good at robotics too!" Amended Lacus, holding up her pink Haro. "He made this for me when he was only 12!"

"That's awes—"

"Are you straight or homosexual?" Kira asked bluntly, causing all his passengers to stare at him in disbelief. Cagalli simply slapped her forehead with her hand, while Shinn struggled to hold in his laughter. Stellar looked away, biting her lip, as she, also, tried not to burst out laughing. Lacus looked out the window, a small smile evident on her face.

"… I'm straight…" Athrun mumbled, inching away from Kira.

"Darn…"

"Pardon?"

"Ah, nothing at all! Where do you guys want to go out to eat?" Kira covered up cheerfully, peering into the rearview mirror, where the four passengers at the back where in silent fits of giggles.

"Let's go out for kabobs!" Cagalli exclaimed, eyes widening in delight.

"Oh… sure, I guess. Let's go to Waltfield's place, then," the brunette decided, but then asked the others, "is that okay with you guys?"

"Yep!" echoed throughout the car, and they drove off towards the small but amazingly yummy restaurant.

"Hello, wel— oh, it's you kids," Aisha grinned at the group as they entered, looking over them. Athrun caught her eye. "Why, who's this?"

"My name is Athrun Zala; nice to meet you," Athrun said, bowing slightly. Aisha nodded in return, understanding filling her eyes.

"Patrick Zala's son, are you?"

"Uh, yes…" Looking down slightly, Athrun felt shame running through his blood. However, Aisha simply laughed, waving it off.

"Don't worry, I don't care who your father is. Sit down, guys, I'll give out menus in a sec." The group of 6 quickly found a table right next to the window, and scurried over. Stellar sat beside the window, with Shinn beside her, and Lacus sitting in the aisle. Kira was eventually shuffled to the window seat, while Cagalli sat between her brother and Athrun. "Here, guys. What drinks would you like to have?"

"Coke, please," Shinn and Kira requested.

"Sprite for me!" Stellar and Cagalli cheered at the same time, before high-fiving one another.

"Ginger ale, thanks," Athrun added.

"I'll have green tea, please," Lacus said, beaming at the blue-haired lady.

"Haha, alright!" Aisha walked towards the counter, and the friends all looked through their menus. Kira and Cagalli whispered to one another, something about sharing… Turkish kebobs. Stellar simply wanted a small cake, while Shinn wanted a steak. Athrun had no clue what was good, so randomly ordered a Turkish kebob as well. Lacus ordered pancakes, causing a spluttering reaction from Shinn, Kira, and Cagalli.

"Is there something wrong with pancakes?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"U-uh… why don't you try the waffles instead?" Cagalli suggested, slapping her brother on the back as he coughed violently.

"Yeah… apparently the w-waffles here are really good!" Shinn stammered, avoiding looking at the twins in front of him.

"Hmm, maybe I will! Waffles for me, then!" The trio sighed, and leaned back, relieved.

"What's wrong with pancakes?" Athrun wondered out loud.

"… nothing really…" Cagalli admitted, shrugging.

"Easy for you to say," grumbled Shinn, crossing his arms.

"Who's the one who thinks of Kira's b—"

"ENOUGH," Kira cut in, clamping a hand over his sister's mouth. Athrun stared at them questioningly before looking at Lacus, who shook her head, her mouth twitching. "So, Athrun, what subjects are you taking this year?"

"Uh, I'm taking Languages, Functions, Computer science, Communication technology, Introduction to Law, World Politics, Chemistry, and Physics."

"Wow, Kira, he's taking a lot of the same courses you're taking!" Cagalli exclaimed, glancing back and forth from her brother and Athrun.

"Really?" Looking over at the brunette, Athrun asked, "What are you taking?"

"Pretty much the same, except I'm not taking Law or Politics. I'm taking Philosophy and Introduction to Sociology, Anthropology, and Psychology."

"I'm taking Grade 11 Languages, Functions, Physical Education, History, World Politics, Introduction to Law, Chemistry, and Biology." Cagalli stated, grinning at both of them.

"Languages, Functions, History, Philosophy, Introduction to SAP, Biology, Chemistry, and Vocals," murmured Lacus, sipping her tea.

"I guess we'll be seeing other quite a bit," Athrun said.

"Hopefully! You never know," responded Cagalli, before asking, "Hey, Shinn, Stellar, what are you guys taking? You guys are in grade… 10?"

"Yep! I'm taking Grade 10 Languages, Math, Science, Business, Physical Education, Computer Science, Photography, and Grade 11 Functions," answered Shinn, grinning.

"Pretty much the same, but I'm not taking Business, Phys. Ed, or Computer Science. I'm taking Vocals, Dance, and Food and Nutrition," Stellar added.

"Eh?! That means we might see you guys in Functions!" Kira gaped at the two younger students in surprise, who nodded.

"Oh man, I can't wait for school to start!" echoed throughout the restaurant.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I think this was the worst chapter I've ever written. No joke.

Ughh. Sorry for being like, what… I can't do math but like… OKAY HOWEVER MANY DAYS LATE I AM. Tried to do my best to get it up on time, but with the massive amount of homework I had, plus an annoying headache from a cold, I just couldn't do it.

Next chapter, they're starting school. And onto the main plot we go!

If you're wondering, the subjects are taken from the school system I use. So, you may or may not have these courses, I wouldn't know.

Hope you guys liked this chapter, regardless, and _**READ AND REVIEW! : D**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Taking Over**

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Gundam Seed Destiny, or any of its characters.

* * *

_DEE. DEE. DEE. DEE. DEE. DEE. DEE. DEE._

"Oh, gosh, Kira, shut up," groaned Cagalli, rolling over onto her side and covering her ears with her green pillow. "You absolutely SUCK at imitating alarm clocks!"

Twitching slightly at her insult, her twin brother crossed his arms and shifted his weight onto one leg. "Well, _sorry _I suck at imitating inanimate objects! _I_ wasn't the one who threw my alarm clock out the window!"

Cagalli cringed at the memory; it was only a few days ago when her stupid, stupid, stupid alarm clock rang at 3 AM in the morning. Annoyed beyond belief, the blonde had furiously slammed the ringing noise off and threw it, with all her might, out the window. She ended up turning on the alarm system for the entire house; she couldn't sleep for the rest of the night. Nor could Kira, Shinn, or Stellar; even Lacus, in the building 10 meters away, ended up unable to sleep.

Furthermore, with her scarily accurate aim, she had managed to score a hit on Kisaka's head with the bright red alarm clock. The already restless night plus Kisaka and her father scolding her, resulted in getting only 2 hours of sleep.

Forcefully making her reluctant body get up and stretch, she sat up in bed. Her amber eyes fell upon her window, which was covered with brown cardboard. "What time is it?" It was difficult for her to tell, but she knew it was probably past 7. School started at 9:30 AM. The sun had peeked through already and birds were flitting in and out in front of her window.

"It's 7:15. You wanted to take a shower, right? Hurry up and join us for breakfast," Kira demanded, staring at his sister, who was wearing orange pajamas with bananas on it. Raising his eyebrows, Kira decided it was best if he didn't ask Lacus to take Cagalli pajama shopping ever again. Tearing his gaze away from the disturbingly patterned sleeping attire, he said, "Your uniform is in your closet; don't forget to wear the ribbon and the school badge, okay? I left them on top of your drawer."

"Thanks, Kira," Cagalli murmured, bouncing off her bed as her brother exited the room, closing the door behind him. Banging her knee as she crashed into a box she left on the floor, she limped towards her finally clean closet. She eyed the uniform, curious, as she picked out her undergarments.

There had been a lot of discussion about the school uniform. Both sides wanted their colours represented; ZAFT, with their typical red and black; ORB, with their blue and white. They had tried white and black, but both sides had agreed it was too plain. Red and blue practically blinded them both, and it was quickly scratched off the list. Red and white made the students seem like candy canes walking around in a school.

And so the uniform was decided to be black and blue. Cagalli, personally, didn't mind it; in fact, she actually liked the look. They were to wear a white collared shirt underneath their uniform top, which was a blazer that was mostly blue but with the edges and lines black. The skirt was black itself with a blue bottom. Their shoes were a shiny black as well, with navy blue knee-high socks. The only thing Cagalli had an issue with was the length of the skirt.

"For goodness' sake, does it have to be 2 inches above the knee?" The blonde grumbled, eyeing the article of clothing menacingly. Sighing, she grabbed the hanger on which it was hanging and made her way to her bathroom.

When she finished showering and putting on the uniform, she skipped down the stairs, her black school bag in hand. Technically, the students were allowed to bring their own, custom school bags, but Cagalli didn't see the point of it and instead used her bag from her previous high school. _'Looks good with the uniform anyways…'_

Stepping into the dining room, she saw Stellar, Shinn, and her brother all crowded around the small, round table. As she got closer, she greeted them and stared at the breakfast Kira had cooked up. The blonde stared at the…

"Muffins? Since when did you start baking muffins?" Taking one, she scanned it warily before taking a tentative bite. As the scent of blueberries wafted through the air, she grinned and quickly swallowed before chomping on it once again.

"I was about to make panca—" Shinn choked on his muffin, sending blue and brown crumbs all over the place. The twins turned their deadly glares at him. "As I was saying, _pancake—_" Once again, Shinn couldn't help but to cough loudly and send another round of crumbs across the table. Stellar pulled a face of disgust and quickly covered the rest of their breakfast.

"Go on? So instead of making pan— DARNIT, SHINN. DON'T MAKE ME PANCAKE YOU." Throwing her half-eaten muffin at Shinn, Cagalli cheered as she heard the soft thump and the sound of the black-haired teenager falling backward off his chair.

"W-wait, what the heck does that mean?!" The panicked male quickly sat up, rubbing the back of his throbbing head. "D-does that mean… you'll… y-you'll… stri—"

"What in the world are you thinking?!" Kira sent a pan flying into the Asuka's face and high-fived his sister as it efficiently shut the other male up.

"Correction: he's not thinking in the world, he's thinking in the gutter." Walking gracefully across the room, Lacus perched herself onto a chair beside Kira. Her pink Haro bounced around behind her, cheerfully saying, "Haro! Haro!"

"Nice, Lacus," Cagalli reached over for a high-five, which Lacus did so daintily.

"Did you _have_ to throw that burning pan in my face?" The red-eyed teenager scrambled back onto his chair, rubbing his now slightly burnt face. Cagalli and Kira burst out laughing, startling Lacus and Stellar.

"OH MY GOSH, IT'S THE RED-EYED BLACK DRAGON!"

Lacus stifled her giggles while Stellar sighed in disbelief. Shinn, on the other hand, was absolutely livid.

"HOW THE HECK CAN YOU THINK OF YU-GI-OH IN THIS SITUATION?!" The twins continued to roar with laughter at the fuming teen, but were quickly shushed when the teen glanced down at his watch. "OH FUDGE, IT'S **9:14**!" Everyone around the table stopped what they were doing and gaped at the black-haired teen who was already tumbling from his chair in his rush to get to the car. When it was evident that he was not joking, the rest of the group choked on their breakfast and scrambled out the door towards Kira's car.

---

"Shinn, you should be so glad I don't have my pan with me or you will be finding it up your a—"

"IT'S NOT MY FAULT THE WATCH MALFUNCTIONED!"

After leaping into Kira's sleek, black car (and, admittedly, with everyone in the most uncomfortable positions; although, they would be comfortable in any other place), the brunette had driven 200km/h in his mad rush to get to school on time. What was normally a 15 minute ride became an 8 minute ride; what was usually a peaceful scenario in the car became total havoc as the passengers tried to get comfortable.

However, when they got to school, they realized it was empty. Glancing at the clock in the car (which they only noticed after getting there), the group of friends realized it was only 8:20. Practically steaming with anger, Kira and Cagalli began to yell at the mischief maker, who attempted to defend himself.

"More like you malfunctioned," Stellar muttered, rubbing her back sorely.

"Stellar!" Shinn whined, turning towards his girlfriend and pouting.

"When we get home, I am taking Kira's pan and making pancakes; YOU are going to eat them even if it sends you to the hospital. Clearly, someone is suffering from withdrawal of pancakes," straightening her uniform and skirt, Cagalli sent a glare towards the Asuka, who coughed violently before hiding behind Stellar.

"Cagalli! Don't be like this!"

"Don't be like this?! You still have the guts to say that after you practically killed us on the roa—" Smoothly cutting in, Lacus put a hand in front of her best friend before turning towards Shinn herself. Her usually bright and cheerful blue eyes were still innocent, but there was a gleam none of them had ever seen before.

"Shinn Asuka." The said teen shivered at the chilly tone in which the pink-haired girl had spoken his name. "Do you find amusement in us nearly losing our lives? Is this your idea of an amusing joke? If so, then I shall hereby warn you: I will not hesitate to * beep * and * beep * and do * beep * to you if you ever decide to do this again. Have I made myself clear?"

His whole body trembling from head to toe, Shinn nodded weakly from behind Stellar. Kira and Cagalli simply sighed in relief as Lacus returned to her normal self and said, "Well, now that the incident is behind us, what shall we do?"

"Huh? Keeners?" The 5 teenagers spun around to see…

"Athrun!" Cagalli exclaimed, bouncing towards the navy-haired teenager. Surprise flashed across his face before he quickly smiled and bowed, shocking both Cagalli and her friends behind her.

"Miss. Athha! How very nice to see you again," he greeted, standing upright and flashing her a dazzling smile. Confused, the blonde sneaked a glance at her friends. Kira was gaping, dumbfounded; Shinn mirrored Kira; Stellar was muffling her giggles, while Lacus just stared, surprised.

"U-uh, Athrun, you can just call me Cagalli!"

"Is that so? Then, good morning, _Cagalli_. Why are you guys here so early?"

Kira couldn't help but notice the way the emerald-eyed male said his sister's name; his eyes narrowed and he responded, "We had a little… malfunction. Why are you here so early?"

"I decided to look around the school before classes started, but I guess it was a careless move on my part. I don't have keys." He shrugged and sighed, before motioning to the people behind him. "By the way, these are my friends. Yzak Joule, Shiho Hahnenfuss, Dearka Elsman, and Nicol Amalfi"

The silver-haired one, Yzak, was scrutinizing Cagalli closely. Feeling unsettled, she questioned, "Y-Yzak-san… are you a girl?"

Her comment made the one named Dearka and the girl, Shiho, burst out laughing. Nicol, the green-haired male, chuckled quietly. Athrun struggled to maintain his cool face, but a smile twitched on his lips. However, Yzak was not amused.

"If YOU were supposed to be a girl, I can see something went horribly wrong."

"What the heck?!" Furious, the blonde stepped forward, raising her fist threateningly. "If you were supposed to be a hermaphrodite, then I guess you were a success!"

"Now, now, I'm sure you guys were both successes," Yzak snorted, "but come on, get along." Athrun glanced from Cagalli to Yzak. "Kiss and make up, now."

"Excuse me?! You want me to kiss this THING?!" Cagalli asked in disbelief, face pulled into one of disgust. Yzak's face was similar to hers.

"I'd rather kiss a sloth!"

"What sloth would let you near it?!"

"You want to repeat that, failure?!"

"Oh no, you did not!"

Their bickering continued all the way until the bell rang, in which they finally stopped arguing and ran for their first period class.

---

Sitting in her second period class beside Lacus, she noticed that Kira, Athrun, and the girl named Shiho were in the same class. Shiho had waved cheerfully at the blonde when she saw her, which Cagalli returned, grinning. The long-haired girl had taken a seat behind Cagalli, beside a girl with short, perky brown hair; she immediately recognized Cagalli.

"Cagalli!"

"Miriallia! Oh man, I never expected to see you in my chemistry class!"

"What, it's not like I failed a course or something!" Winking at the blonde, Miriallia leaned towards her and whispered, "I hear you fell for a certain blue-haired male in our class!"

Blushing furiously, Cagalli glared at Kira, who happened to be whistling and staring out the window; a sweat drop gave him away. Using their twin telepathy, the blonde thought, _'Kira Athha. You are SO dead you won't be pushing up daisies; you'll be pushing up TREES.'_

Kira, at this time, wished his telepathy malfunctioned.

Before class got underway, Cagalli couldn't help but notice how Athrun was surrounded by girls… and guys. There were more girls, of course, but the number of guys was quite appalling as well. She observed how he responded to their questions politely, complimented the girls on their new hairstyles, made arrangements with the guys for date— games and hangouts. There was something peculiar about his behavior, but before she could dwell on it any further, massive, round, plump breasts appeared right in her view.

"Cagalli!" Wincing at how her name was said, the blonde glanced up from the breasts to their owner; Meer.

"M-Meer… how nice to see you again…"

"I know, right? I'm SO disappointed we couldn't see each other over the break, but at least we have the same chemistry class! Oh, Lacus-san! Hello!"

"Hello, Meer-san," greeted Lacus, smiling politely at her look-a-like.

"Anyways, I'm SO glad I'm in the same class as you guys AND my fiancé!"

Surprised, Lacus asked, "Oh, who would that be?"

"Athrun," replied Cagalli, eyeing her best friend meaningfully, before nodding in Athrun's direction.

"Oh," quiet, Lacus resumed writing her notebook, although it was with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I'm going to go over to Athrun-kun now! Bye bye!" Waving at them as she left, Cagalli let out a sigh and slumped back into her chair. Miriallia and Shiho, who had bonded quite nicely behind them, smirked as they leaned towards her.

"Is that a sigh of disappointment, Cags?" Snickering, Miriallia poked the blonde in the back.

"Is it legal to punch your best friend in the face?"

"Oh, come on, Cagalli. Do you like him or not?"

"Shiho!"

"I know we just met today, but c'mon. Why would I tell?"

"You're friends with him! How can I trust you to say anythi— oh crap, did I just give myself away?"

"Not until the last part, no."

Cagalli groaned. "Ugh! Fine, I think he's interesting, that's all."

"_Interesting_?"

"Miriallia…"

"I swear, I wasn't reading Playboy magazines."

"Okay, class, settle down and sit your bottoms in those chairs." A pretty lady of around 28 walked into the classroom. She had slightly wavy brown hair that rested slightly past her shoulders. Her brown eyes were sincere but sharp, and she had the figure any guys would probably drool about. "My name is Murrue Ramius, but I expect you guys to call me Ms. Ramius. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"I will be your chemistry teacher for the rest of this year, so you guys better not fool around, or your marks will be in jeopardy."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Alright, I'll begin with attendance. Athha, Cagalli?"

---

As Kira and Cagalli made their way to their third period class (Lacus was not with them, as she had lunch that period with Shinn and Stellar), they noticed a girl with red hair, half-tied up in a ponytail on the back of her head. She appeared to be arguing with a male with short blonde hair and who wore glasses.

Immediately recognizing them, Kira called out, "Sai! Fllay!"

They paused and looked around for the source; their eyes fell upon Cagalli and her brother.

"Oh… hi Kira," they both greeted. Fllay turned around, pouting slightly while Sai said, "What do you guys have now?"

"Languages. You?"

"Oh, we have functions… I guess we'll see you around, then!" Pulling Fllay with him, Sai went in the opposite direction. The twins stared after them, puzzled, before resuming their walk to L348.

When they entered the classroom, they found it almost full. Cagalli pulled her brother towards a pair of empty tables near the back and sat down in the window-seat. To her surprise, Athrun happened to be sitting in front of them.

"Cagalli! Kira!"

"Eh, we're in the same Languages class too?! I never knew that!" The brunette glanced at his sister uneasily, watching her brighten up at the sight of the navy-haired male.

"You never asked," chuckled Athrun, before turning towards Kira. "When do you have computer science?"

Tensing, he replied, "Next period. You?"

"Oh, same! I have last period lunch, which sucks."

"Me too!" Cagalli moaned, and she slumped over her desk, grumbling.

"Athrun! Are you available to attend my father's masquerade on the 19th?" His attention occupied elsewhere, Athrun turned around to talk to a girl with short magenta hair.

"Wow, he must be busy… he has to attend social events just like his father," Cagalli whispered to Kira, who nodded.

"I don't like him."

Raising her eyebrows at her brother, Cagalli hissed, "Is it because he used to be Lacus' fiancé? Or is it because he's better looking than yo—"

"Cagalli, you'll be the one pushing up trees."

"Hey, you are still going to be pushing up trees after school! But still, why don't you like him?"

"He seems so… fake… as if he's just hiding behind a façade."

"I don't think I should be hearing that from you, Kira."

"Why not? I don't wear a fake mask and act all cheerful and false towards othe—"

"Lacus?"

"… okay, you are so getting it when we get home."

"You know that can be interpreted in a very interesting way, right?"

"Cagalli, stop stealing Miriallia's Playboy magazines."

"I'm no— wait, how would you know Miriallia has Playboy magazines? Kira… don't tell me…"

Meanwhile, Athrun couldn't help but feel shivers creep up his spine as he continued to talk to Lunamaria Hawke about her family's invitation to their masquerade. He had a feeling he had chosen to sit in a very uncomfortable spot.

---

"Ah! Finally, lunch time!" Her stomach roaring with hunger, Cagalli ran to the cafeteria to purchase a hot dog. Remembering that her brother also had lunch the same time as her, she bought another one and paid the cashier $10 in total. Looking for the brunette, she didn't notice someone yell, "WATCH OUT!"

_WHAM._

Cagalli felt herself get knocked to the floor, the hotdogs flying out of her hands and landing on her. Someone had pushed her down to save her from a football that was thrown astray. She had squeezed her eyes shut, but after crashing to the floor, she blearily opened an eye to see strands of blue hair above her.

"Cagalli!" Kira, who had seen the whole thing happen, ran towards Cagalli and her savior, Athrun. Helping the male up grabbing his sister up by the arm, he quickly looked over her to make sure she was not bleeding. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I think so…" Wincing as she touched her forehead, she admitted, "I think I hit my head pretty hard though…"

"I'll ask Kisaka to call a doctor," promised Kira, before turning towards Athrun. "Thank you."

"No problem." Athrun smiled angelically at them. Kira noted his dirtied attire.

"I can arrange for your uniform to be washed; it was because of my sister, anyways."

"No, no, it's okay! It's not much, anyways. Cagalli's uniform needs more attention."

It was true; Athrun's uniform was splattered with small dots of ketchup and mustard. Cagalli's, however, was caked with the sauces. Her hair was speckled red as well (the mustard couldn't really be seen as it blended with her hair). Nodding, Kira thanked Athrun again before pushing Cagalli towards the washroom to clean herself up. As they left, they noticed that flocks of guys and girls had crowded around the navy-haired teenager, complimenting him on his heroic rescue and his dashing bravery. Kira's eyes only narrowed as he overheard the murmur of the crowd. Cagalli glanced back, worried. She suddenly had a very bad feeling.

"K-Kira…?"

"I told you."

"… I still don't think that's what he's trying to d—"

"Cagalli, stop defending him! You know what he's after!"

Biting her lip, she sighed before saying, "I'll need more proof, okay?"

Sighing as well, Kira mumbled, "What other proof do you need?"

"Who knows, maybe it's just his personality to he—"

"If that's his real personality, then Miriallia's Playboy magazines are non-existent."

"What was that about my magazines?" Miriallia asked, walking out the girls' washroom. Gasping at Cagalli's appearance, she quickly ushered her in and slammed the door in Kira's face. "Eugh, Cagalli, what the heck is this?!"

"My lunch."

"Care to share?"

"If you don't mind licking it off me, sure."

"I think I'll help myself, the—"

"MIRIALLIA! KEEP YOUR TONGUE OFF MY SISTE—"

"KIRA, STOP EAVESDROPPING!"

Back in the cafeteria, Athrun chuckled and smiled to himself, his eyes gleaming with something that no one around him could understand.

* * *

**ROYALMILKTEA (author):**

Yay! _Finally_ done this chapter and _finally_ onto the main storyline!

The part where Cagalli got splattered by hot dog sauce was inspired by Ep. 18 from Gundam Seed where Kira and Cagalli met the Tiger (Andrew Waltfield). The kebob sauce debate and then the attack; Cagalli got covered with sour cream and chili sauce! O:

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Kind of boring and lame, but still. * sigh *

I'd appreciate it if reviewers would actually give tips instead of just stating if it's boring or lame or stupid or whatever. You're reading it; why not give tips to make it better?

Other than that, I think that's it. :)

Take care! Next update is probably next week or even earlier. (;


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